Sweet Sanctuary
by Niki Bogwater
Summary: The requested sequel to "Shadows of Adulation." Link is finally settled down at Lon Lon Ranch after going through his ordeal in Termina. But when a shadow of his past returns to exact revenge, he is thrown into yet another dark adventure that threatens his newfound sanctuary, and the very foundations of Hyrule itself. T for violence.
1. Prologue

He never said a single word as she explained the error she made in sending him back in time. He gave no indication that he cared about getting seven years of his life back. He just stared at the ground, expressionless, frightening Zelda to a certain extent.

"Link...give me the Ocarina of Time, now. As a sage, I can send you back to your own time. Back to the time you lost." Link said nothing as he held out the ocarina for her to take, keeping his eyes down. Zelda laid a hand over it, but did not take it. "Link, I...I'm so sorry. It's all my fault...everything..."

"You lied to me..." he whispered hoarsely, unable to restrain himself any longer. "You lied to me, Princess!"

"Link, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "But I didn't want you to get hurt by knowing who I-"

"Hurt?" Link shouted, snatching his hand back, leaving Zelda clutching his ocarina. "You took me away from my friends and my home, you gave me nothing but a life of pain and murder when I was only ten years old, you caused everyone I love so much pain that I can't stand to look in their eyes anymore, and you stole SEVEN YEARS from me! When have you EVER cared about whether you hurt me or not?" He immediately felt horrible. Zelda had not known, she was only a child when she had made her decision to stop Ganondorf. She had only been trying to protect her people like a good princess should. But at this point, any sympathy Link had for her had withered away, replaced by boiling anger and resentment.

"Link, I'm so sorry!" Zelda sobbed. "I'm trying to make this right, if you could just try to forgive me!"

"Zelda, can you take away the past like you can take away someone's future?" Link growled. "Can you take the scars off of a girl's back like you took away my innocence?"

"Link, what on earth are you talking-"

"You can't make it right! You can't act like everything is okay! You're not a goddess, Zelda, and I wish you'd stop trying to be one!"

"What's done is done, and all I can say is how deeply sorry I am for my mistakes. Can't you let go of the past, Link? Especially now that you're getting it back?"

"What past? I didn't have a past! I was locked up in that stupid temple for seven years because of you!" Link had never felt so furious in his life. He clenched his sweating fist, shaking with all the emotional stress that he had pushed back for so long.

"Link, I'm trying to make it up to you! What more do you want?" There was a very long pause, during which the only sound was the hero's heavy breathing.

"I...I don't know..." he choked. And suddenly, he broke down sobbing. "I'm s-s-sorry, I j-just..." Zelda stared at him, her heart cracking. She could not even listen to his apologies, she could only watch as the hero she had created was torn apart right in front of her. She could not find any words that she could offer him. This was all her fault, and he was right; nothing she could say would make up for the past. Unable to bear it any longer, she hastily brought the Ocarina of Time to her lips and played her lullaby, tears racing down her cheeks. Link did not look up once as he was encased in a blue crystal and sent into the void, on his way to his own time.

"I am so sorry, Hero of Time..."

**A/N: Oh crud, I am soooooo sorry about the hiatus! Also, during my absence I LOST ALL MY AUTHOR'S NOTES AND REVIEWER APPRECIATION! I am crying so hard right now, I have no idea where they went. I had them saved somewhere, but I can't remember what I did with them. So...I am soooo so so so flipping sorry about all of this...But hey, on the bright side, if you review you can still get the dedication in the next chapter...**


	2. Chapter One

It was not that he meant to fall in love with her. In fact, such a thing had never crossed his mind until he saw her again after seven years apart. As a child, he would have scoffed at the idea of his best friend becoming the one he pined for. But then again, life often throws things your way when you least expect them. That is how adventures start.

And this would be Link's greatest adventure.

The sweat rolled off his back in rivers, and Link grunted softly as he hefted the heavy support beam.

"Jist a bit more, lads!" Talon shouted from his perch on top of the framework.

"Next time, how about YOU hoist this thing while I direct..." Ingo grumbled from the other end.

"Link, bring your end up a bit more. I can't get the rope around it," Talon directed. However, even Link was beginning to feel like Talon was putting too much of the strenuous labor on him and Ingo. Despite that, he clenched his teeth and gave the massive beam of wood another shove, and Talon looped a lasso around it. "Alright, let 'er go!" Ingo and Link gratefully released their burden, and watched as it was lifted up towards the roof by the pulley system worked around the scaffolding. "Alright, jist a few more to go!" he shouted cheerily. Link groaned inwardly, rubbing his sore muscles, but quietly took up another beam, lifting as high as he could so that Ingo could easily get a hold on his end.

"Papa, you're working these fine boys too hard," a sweet voice insisted. Link jerked his head around, the wooden beam swaying as he turned.

"Watch it, Link!" Ingo shouted from the other end.

"Aw, Mallie, yer sweet, but a little old-fashioned muscle labor is good fer a man," Talon chuckled, climbing down a ladder leaning against the side of the building. "But not as much as good food. Is lunch 'bout ready?"

"Yes, that's why I came to get you. Sandwiches are on the table, and the shower is in the bathroom."

"Malon-" her father protested.

"You're not sitting at my table smelling like that," she said, her voice firm as a stone. "Now hurry up, you're holding up the line." She gave him a small push, and he trotted off, grumbling good-naturedly, leaving Link and Ingo stuck with a support beam that they did not know what to do with.

"Link," Malon inquired, and the boy promptly dropped his end of the beam, leaving Ingo to try and get his foot out from underneath. "I finished that new work shirt for you. I put it in your room."

"Th-thank you..." Link stuttered, as a string of curses wound its way out of Ingo. He caught himself staring at her again. He seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. She just looked so much...prettier than he remembered.

He had not always tripped over his own feet around her, or inexplicably found something caught in his throat when she asked him something. In fact, the two of them were best friends. But the unfortunate thing about being a Hylian was that you grew up. The even more unfortunate thing was that your best friend grew up, too. And if your best friend as a child was a girl, the level of unfortunateness spiked dramatically. Yes, Link had a crush. His first serious crush, really. And it was driving him up the wall.

Of course, he made it a point to never breathe a word of it to anyone, most especially to the girl in question. He was the Hero of Time; stalwart, courageous, and steady. He was not supposed to completely lose it around girls like any other lovesick teenager might. But somewhere beneath that heroic facade, there was a normal boy hiding in a hero's garb.

"Ahhhh..." Talon leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh, an empty plate before him. "That was wonderful, darlin'."

"Thank you, Papa," Malon beamed. "Seconds anyone? Link?" She held out the tray of sandwiches in front of him. "You're still drooling. You need more?" Link clamped his mouth shut and suddenly looked away from her, mumbling that he was fine. She looked at him questioningly, and Link gulped, praying she wouldn't ask questions.

A soft knock on the door interrupted further inquiry on Malon's part, thank goodness, and she hastily set down the tray on the counter, threw her apron aside, and opened the door. One squeak of alarm and surprise later, Link was suddenly between her and whatever beast had frightened her, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Link...!"

He lowered his hand slowly, a blush creeping into his cheeks. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hello, Princess..."

**A/N: Not much to say, here, except again, I'm so fizzpidgeoning sorry I lost my author's notes and reviewer appreciation pages. I worked hard to try and respond to every one of my awesome reviewers and give them dedications and now I can't find my work. Oog... Well, please review anyways, and I promise you'll get a dedication in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter Two

"I see you haven't lost your capabilities with a sword," Impa said dully, coming up behind Zelda. "Link, you needn't worry about such things anymore. Even if you do, I'd appreciate it if you'd check the front door before hacking visitors to pieces."

"Impa, Link and I have things to discuss. You are excused," Zelda said firmly. Impa merely bowed, and walked inside, immediately making herself at home on the couch. Link meekly stepped outside, softly closing the door behind him, Malon's confused, worried expression etched in his memory.

There was a very long pause. Finally, Zelda cleared her throat. "I heard you had settled here, and I thought now might be a good time for us to...talk." Link nodded silently. Another long pause. Zelda looked around the ranch, seeking some topic of conversation. "It's peaceful here," she finally said. Link only nodded again. "I take it you work for Talon, now?" Another nod. "Are you happy here?" A nod again, but this time it was a little more vigorous. "That's good...you deserve it..." Zelda was silent again for a minute. Suddenly, something seemed to dawn on her. "Where's Navi?"

"She left..." Link answered, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Oh..." Zelda breathed. "I'm...I'm sorry. That was my fault, too, wasn't it?"

"Yes." The answer came without a moment's hesitation.

"I..." Zelda tried to choose her words carefully. She was not going to run away from him like last time and leave everything unraveled. "I really am so sorry, and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, then just name it."

"Okay." Another agonizingly long silence followed.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Zelda finally asked, a certain tone of meekness in her voice. Link sighed heavily, but he nodded.

"Everything's fine, now," was all he said. Zelda smiled sweetly at him. Any other boy his age might have melted on the spot. He only returned the smile with his own that somehow didn't seem to reach his eyes. Zelda cleared her throat.

"Do you have any plans for the future?" Link shook his head. "There's always an opening in Hyrule's military, if you ever want to take it."

"I'll think about it," he said. "but I really just want to be here right now..."

"I understand. Your family is here." Link flushed.

"A-actually they're not really my family..."

"You mean you and Malon aren't...?" Zelda looked genuinely surprised, then amused as Link's flush deepened from pale pink to crimson red.

"N-no..."

"Why not?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said, why not?" Zelda repeated firmly. Link shuffled one of his feet, and made several coughing noises that he desperately wished would sound like an intelligent answer. "You're hopeless," Zelda giggled. "I know you like her. Why haven't you done anything with that?"

"Who told you that?" Link asked, already aware of the answer, but hoping it would change the subject.

"Who do you think?"

"Navi..." Link groaned.

"You're a smart boy." There was yet another annoyingly silent pause in the conversation. "I missed you..." Zelda finally said. "I thought you'd come back sooner...but it's been two years and I...I worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Link said uncomfortably, not knowing what else to say.

"Where were you? I mean, I know you didn't stay in Hyrule. You couldn't have, without disturbing the flow of time. That's why I sent you to Termina, but I didn't know if you had stayed...Link, what is it?" She noticed that he seemed to flinch at the sound of Hyrule's neighboring province.

"I...I don't want to talk about it..." he said finally.

"I hurt you again..." Zelda breathed, horrified with herself. It wasn't a question. All Link could do was nod. "What happened?" she asked, her voice taking on a pleading tone.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Link snapped, immediately feeling awful. Zelda wisely chose to drop the subject. Still feeling a great load of guilt, similar to the one he left her with last time, Zelda said her hasty farewells, and rode off with Impa. She did not say anything else to him, for which Link was grateful. He hated making her feel bad. She did not deserve to get the brunt of his frustrations. It was not entirely her fault that he had been in so much agony for the seven years he was supposed to enjoy. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and turned to get back to his chores.

Unfortunately, his chores would have to wait, because at that moment, his entire body collided with a soft object.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Malon exclaimed, as Link, unable to speak properly at the moment, attempted to stutter out his own apologies. Malon examined him carefully for a moment, before tentatively asking, "What did the princess want?"

"She...just wanted to check on me."

"Oh..." She detected a very subtle bitterness in his voice, and narrowed her eyes, gazing into his thoughtfully. "Are you okay?" Link, though very tired of this question, nodded silently. Malon's already narrowed eyes narrowed further. She always knew when he was hiding something.

But unlike Zelda, she didn't question him, or try to fix his problems for him. Instead, she ever-so gently draped her arms around his shoulders, unaware that the simple token of friendship sent his stomach leaping into his chest. He cautiously laid his hands on her hips, unsure if such a restrained hug even could be considered a hug. But he would be satisfied with what he could get.

Time had apparently frozen in that moment, and Link suddenly realized how much Malon's respectful silence meant to him. She did not probe him for answers he did not wish to give. Yet, despite her ignorance concerning his problems, she was here, silently offering him her sympathy. He supposed that was what had given him so much peace for the past two years.

Ever since he had returned from Termina, ever since he had met Majora, his days were poisoned with memories of the past, and his nights haunted by dreams reliving moments he never wished to remember. After a lonely childhood in Termina, he fled back to Hyrule, back to his sanctuary with Malon. He hadn't spoken to anyone about his past, and he had no intentions of ever doing so. It was a feeble stability, to say the least. His entire peace of mind fastened on one girl, whose presence just made everything that was dark within him disappear. But it was a stability nonetheless, and he was going to hold onto it with everything in his power.

"Mal..." he whispered hoarsely, unsure of what he was even saying.

"Yes?"

"I-"

"LINK!" Talon bellowed. "C'mon, boy, this shed ain't gonna repair itself!" And thus, time started up again, and Link inwardly whimpered as Malon's arms left him, and he had to get back to work.

**A/N: Please review. And again, super sorry about the hiatus. There was a lot of writing going on at the time, and I had to push Sweet Sanctuary back down the priorities list. But I'm here now! Hopefully to stay.**


	4. Chapter Three

It was quiet today. A nice kind of quiet. Just the kind of quiet that felt like everything was okay. It was hard to find words for it, but nevertheless, Link felt quite peaceful as he lounged in the golden grass just outside the farm. Of course, any kind of quiet felt heavenly to him, after a long afternoon of trying to get out of the stream of endless handshakes, introductions, and (the worst part of it) having to endure Malon's uncontrollable cackling as innumerable tween girls paused to fawn over him.

The weekly prayer services at the Temple of Time were normally very peaceful events. The general public had forgotten about him (something Malon was appalled at, but Link was quite thankful for) like last year's fashions. Then, all of a sudden, everyone remembered that he existed. He had a feeling that it had something to do with Zelda's unannounced appearance at the ranch. Whatever the origins of the matter, Link was suddenly famous again, and he wondered what kind of penalties the goddesses might bestow on him if he just skipped the next service.

Aside from his anti-social religious conundrum, as Ingo had referred to it on the way home, another half of his mind was focused on Malon. To some people, it seemed like the obvious choice. You meet someone, you fall madly in love, basically just put your whole reason for living on them, and get married. Link, however, didn't think like that, which made things very complicated.

He had no doubt that he loved Malon. More than anything in the world. And sometimes, when he would wake up in a cold sweat at night, crying out in fear at some figment of his imagination, she'd suddenly appear, right by him, and just hold onto him like she'd never let go. It was during these dark moments that he selfishly thought that if something happened to her, he would die. But then he'd see the odd mark on his hand, a testimony to everything he'd been through, and what his entire life had been dedicated to. He was the Hero of Time, and he was a faithful servant to the goddesses. And then the endless tug-of-war in his mind would continue. He wondered exactly what Malon had become to him. What were the extremities he'd be willing to go through for her? He found it difficult to distinguish the difference between his love for her and his faith in the goddesses who had blessed him with her to begin with.

Never having been in love before made this all most confusing, indeed.

Then, something shifted. It was impossible to say exactly what, but Link suddenly felt very uneasy. He sat up and looked around, his pointed ears straining for sounds of trouble. It was quiet. The breeze still skipped lazily over the field, rustling the grass as it went. But it didn't sound peaceful anymore. It sounded...ominous. Unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right, Link carefully made his way back to the ranch, trying to pinpoint what had changed to make the day seem so dangerous all of a sudden.

The pin found its point. A frightened scream from the barn sent every hair on the back of his neck straight up. Malon.

Link had never run so fast in his life. The barn was only a few yards away from the front gate, but it seemed like miles to him. Epona had come running from the corral, several bits of grass still hanging out of her mouth, ears perked nervously. Link threw himself against the door, but it wouldn't open. There was a sickening squelch and Malon cried out again.

"MALON!" Link bellowed, slamming against the door with his whole body. Epona, enraged by his incapability at saving her mistress, shoved him aside disdainfully, and, backing away a few feet, galloped like Ganon was after her, stopping inches from the door and throwing her front legs up, bringing them down again on the sturdy oak with a resounding crash.

Link burst through the remnants of the barn door, his heart beating so hard, he felt like it would break out of his chest. Malon was crumpled against the wall, blood running down her arm. "Malon..." he gasped, collapsing next to her and trying to move her hand away from the wound. She flinched away from his touch, her eyes screwed shut in agony, hot tears racing down her cheeks and mingling with the blood pouring from her shoulder.

"Please...Link, no more!" she whimpered cowering further against the wall. Link felt his racing heart halt abruptly. She was afraid of him.

"Malon, you..." He had no idea what to say. "I...I'd never, _ever_ hurt you..." he whispered hoarsely, disgusted at the very idea. "Please, let me help. What happened? Who did this to you?" He tried to reach for her hand again, but she shied away, her eyes popping open, ignited with anger.

"You did..."

**A/N: Okay, this is where I left you poor dears last time. Well, don't cry anymore, sweeties, I have the next chapter for you! Just push the button, and thank you for being so patient.**


	5. Chapter Four

Link had been in pain before. Oh, the goddesses KNEW he had been in pain worse than one could imagine. He had been beaten with clubs so many times every single one of his ribs had been broken at one time or another, he had been held underwater for so long he felt like his lungs would shrivel away, he had been electrocuted, stabbed, burned, and frozen until every cell in his body screamed for rest.

Nothing hurt worse than seeing Malon's blueberry eyes wide with fear for him.

"Malon...I'd never-"

"Please, leave me alone!" she sobbed, trying to back further against the wall. As quick as the pain had come, it dissolved into anger. Something had hurt Malon. His Malon. And it had made her believe it was him. He was not mad at her. Simply furious that someone had even thought of touching her.

"You really have no creativity." Link felt an indescribably horrible chill crawl up his spine. It was his voice, but it was so wrong, so, so wrong. Slowly, every movement like that of a cornered Wolfos, he stood and unsheathed his sword. He didn't turn around. He didn't need to see who it was.

"I killed you," he ground out, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword.

"You can't kill me. I am you." A clammy, cold arm stretched around his shoulders, hanging there lazily. Link stared straight ahead. "Even your girlfriend knows it." Quick as lightning, Link spun around, slicing his sword sideways, only to have it easily blocked.

"The impossible just became possible, Dark. You're going to die, and no restrictions apply to that anymore!"

"Except maybe this one." Malon cried out as, with inhuman speed, the Link's shadow had him locked in a weak defence stance, pressed against the wall and straining to hold him back. Dark Link only got stronger the more Link fought him. "I missed you after our little run-in..." he hissed. "But my creator had more...conservative methods of killing you." Link was thrown aside as his shadow turned again on Malon, sword poised to finish the job.

"NO!" Link threw himself in front of Malon, struggling to keep the strike at bay. "Malon, go!"

"But-"

"GO!" Link bellowed, thrusting his shadow aside and pushing him back further.

"You can't keep this up forever. The more she bleeds, the stronger I get. The Hero of Time is running out of time..." Link gasped as Dark slipped his sword out of a defensive position, throwing him off balance and giving him a nasty slice on his shoulder.

"Why are you doing this? What's the point? Ganon is dead, he was banished to the Sacred Realm two years ago!"

"That's precisely why I'm doing it." Dark dodged another thrust and drew his sword up, just barely missing Link's neck as he ducked away. "Unless you've already slept with your precious farm girl...which you haven't. And I should know." Dark Link's red eyes gleamed wickedly. "Your bloodline is at a stand-still. You die, there's no one to keep the Triforce of Courage. Ganon breaks out, and your sweet little redheaded sanctuary here is the first to go..." Link tried to push him back, but he could already feel his shadow was getting stronger.

He kept fighting, if only to give Malon time to flee. He just wanted her to get as far away as humanly possible. He did not know what Dark wanted with her, but all he knew was that he'd go halfway through Hell and back before he would let him touch her. He felt the pressure lift slightly on his sword. What was he...?

THWUNK!

"What in tarnation is goin' on in here?" Talon thundered, loping as quickly as his short legs were capable of into the barn, as Link slid down the wall in relief. Dark Link had disappeared the moment Malon's pitchfork had made contact with his head (Link could not blame him) and she was standing there like some sort of angel, illuminated by the light pouring in from the wrecked door, looking genuinely horrified with herself.

* * *

"There are two of you!" she squeaked, fidgeting as Ingo tried once again to bandage her arm.

"More or less..." Link said cryptically, as she twitched impatiently again, undoing the wrappings Ingo was struggling with for the umpteenth time. It wasn't a very bad wound, thank the goddesses. Just a deep cut a little to the right of her shoulder blade. Still, it had made Link cringe to see the blood dripping down the front of her skirt as she let loose a cross between a yelp and a squeak and threw herself at him after his dark counterpart had fled.

"For the love of..." Ingo picked up the gauze again and tried to keep Malon still.

"Why are there two of you?" she nearly shrieked.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm gonna have to ask you to hold still-"

"Long story," Link answered flatly.

"Then make it quick, because he wanted to kill you, and we don't have time to sit around contemplating your refusal to talk to me!" Link raised an eyebrow as Malon suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth. Ingo cursed quietly as the bandages unraveled from her arm again. "I...I mean...I'm sorry, Link, I just..." For once in her life, she couldn't seem to find the right words. Link sighed heavily, running a hand through his tangled golden hair. Ingo clamped Malon's arm against her side and tried again.

"Dark Link is a duplicate of me, well, at least of part of me."

"...You don't have to-" Malon began, but Link cut her off.

"Anything that's wrong with me, that's ever been wrong, my fears, my sins, they're wrapped up in a physical form that Navi called Dark Link." He paused. It still hurt to think of her. "He was a product of Ganon's magic. I thought I'd killed him, but..."

"HA!" Everyone jumped and stared at Ingo. "Ah...heheh...Sorry...Just...Her arm should be fine now." He nervously scooped up the rest of the household medical equipment and ducked out of the room. Malon looked down at the messily applied gauze around her shoulder.

"Ingo, you did the wrong arm!" she called. There was a disturbing sort of thumping noise that sounded suspiciously like someone collapsing into a wall.

**A/N: Okay, here we are! I'm so so so so SO sorry about all the mix-ups and the delays, but everything should go swimmingly now. I promise if you review, you'll get your dedication in the next chapter along with my usual responses. I'm so sorry I lost the old ones. I seriously have no idea what happened to them. Oh well... Ciao for now.**


	6. Chapter Five

**Ye Olde Appreciations:**

**Guest: **I never cuss. You never have to worry about that from me. :)

_**The following chapter is dedicated to Guest, since they were the only one who left a review. The Guest is the Best! :P**_

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Link started up out of his reverie at the sound of Malon's voice. He glanced up at her, her fire-red hair swaying gently in the breeze, illuminated by the golden sunset behind her. He looked away quickly and coughed out a sort of half-laugh.

"Am I okay? You were almost killed, and you're asking if I'm okay?" Malon flushed a bit as she settled in the grass beside him.

"Well...I already know that I'm okay. But I'm still worried about you." Link turned and stared at her.

"Why?"

"You were scared."

"What?"

"I've never seen you scared before. Not like that. You were really terrified. I want to make sure you're alright."

Link was unable to resist the urge to wrap her in a hug. She seemed surprised at first, but, having no qualms about this sudden burst of affection, she made good time in settling into the hug. "You're so incredible..." Link mumbled against her neck. Malon flushed more deeply. "And I..." He almost said what he had been longing to say for the past two years. But yet again, it wouldn't come out. He swallowed hard and tried again. "...And I almost lost you."

"Oh..." was all she said. Link suddenly let go, painfully reminded of their current relationship status. He didn't think good friends often buried their faces in one-another's necks, or kissed-

"But you didn't." Malon's voice interrupted what could have been a very naughty train of thought indeed. He shook himself mentally and looked away.

"I just...I can't help feeling that this is my fault."

"You're not the one who stabbed me."

"That's not really what I meant," he answered with a rueful smile. "I...Y-you remember when you were trapped in the Shadow Temple?"

"...I'd rather not..." she said after a long pause. Link shuddered a bit.

"Y-yeah, me neither..." A pause again. He stared blankly at the brilliant array of the sunset's colors. "...You were taken because of me, though. I...I just-"

"Didn't we have this conversation already? Frankly, I don't really care." Her voice softened. "Because...I know you'll always come for me."

"I couldn't reach you in time today." The words tasted bitter, like admitting defeat.

"Link, what exactly do you want?" Malon asked suddenly, startling Link to a certain extent.

"Wh...What-"

"Forget everything that's happened to me or you, or anyone in between. If everything was perfect, and you could have whatever you wanted, what would that be?"

"...Mal, nothing's ever going to be like that, so there's no point-"

"You want something. I can see it in your eyes. What do you want? Forget all of this, what is missing that you want?"

"I..." Link paused, glancing back at her. What did he want? Well, if he was brutally honest, he wanted to take her in his arms. kiss her, never let go, tell her he loved her, ask her to marry him, and various other things in that genre. But he could never do that if it meant endangering her even more. What he wanted...

"I want you to be safe."

* * *

The next few days were spent in tense apprehension. Link rarely let Malon out of his sight, which in turn seemed to agitate Talon. Ingo appeared to be unaffected by any of this. It was one evening after dinner, when Malon went to lock the horses in their stables, that Link felt a large hand clap him on the shoulder, and hold him back from following her.

"Wait jest a minute there, son," Talon said gently, and Link watched impatiently as Malon disappeared from his protective gaze. "I feel like the two of us need to set down and discuss somethin'."

"Talon, I swear, I'm doing everything I can to keep her safe, I don't know when Dark Link could strike again, but I promise I won't let-" Everything came flooding out in a panic, and to Link's surprise, all Talon did was chuckle at his fearful, wide eyes.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Now take it easy, there, I'm not about to pummel you or anythin'. But I wanted to talk to you 'bout Malon. I get the feelin' you're pretty upset 'bout what's been happenin', right?"

"Y-yes, sir..."

"You seem more scared 'bout it than Malon. And I'm thinkin'...that ain't jest because you think it's yer fault."

"I...How did..."

"Jest answer the question, boy."

"Y...yes."

"Thought so. Now, I know you and my Mallie have been pals for a long time. And I've been right proud of you for that. Most boys yer age don't appreciate what she's got to offer. But the way you've been acting 'round her lately...She's more than jest a friend, ain't she?"

"I...I..."

"Spit it out, son, it'll do you good."

Link swallowed thickly, before answering with a nervous sort of cough. "Y-yes." A tense silence followed. "I-I'm sorry, maybe I should just-" Link made to run off again, but Talon got another firm grip on his shoulder. Link chanced a glance at him, and was surprised to find him smiling.

"Calm down, son, it's jest me, not Volvagia. I jest wanted to be sure of that before I give you my permission."

"P-permission, sir?" Link cringed at how squeaky his voice sounded.

"To court her." Link felt like he had just been blown over by a hurricane. Of course. He had been so wrapped up in his own confusion he had forgotten the one thing he had to do before he could sort things out with Malon. He had never given much thought to it, but now that the issue was in front of him, it seemed like something he should have thought of a long time ago. He suddenly realized that Talon was waiting for him to answer.

"Th-thank you..." he stuttered. "I...I don't know..."

"You don't know why I'm doin' this so sudden? Because yer a simpering coward."

"I...Excuse me?"

"Don't take that the wrong way," Talon chuckled. "But fer someone who's got the Triforce of courage, yeh sure seem terrified of my daughter. I'm jest tryin' to help you out here. I know what it's like to be a kid in love, unbelievable as that may seem."

"Mr. Talon, I-"

"Cut the 'Mister,' boy, you know what my real name is."

Link cleared his throat and tried again. "T-Talon, I...I'm scared because...If something else happens to her because of me, I...I can't..." Link was having trouble putting his thought process into words.

"Has it occurred to you that she's waitin' on you?" Talon asked gently.

"But...But I'm..."

"Yer a nice young lad who cares about my daughter when no one else does. You put her above everything else and make sure she's never wantin' of anythin'. That's gotta mean a lot to her. And even more importantly...You need her."

Link had been aware of this truth for quite some time, but hearing it spoken aloud was akin to getting smacked in the face with a brick. He had always avoided thinking about how he would cope if she wasn't in his life, mostly because he was afraid of what such a circumstance would look like in his mind. He had a feeling it would be similar to his father's suicide...

"I...I..." He struggled for words, seeing that Talon was waiting for an answer. "...I _can't_. If something happened to her...I just...I can't take the chance."

"So yer just gonna hang 'round here mopin' and fawnin' over her from the shadows? Link, if the girl's own father had to admit that she had an admirer, it'll be obvious to anyone else even from a mile away. Believe me, I've been avoidin' this moment for two years. How long are you gonna try to keep it hidden? The girl's already been kidnapped once." Link visibly flinched, but Talon kept talking. "Dontcha think it's time to let this go and get what you deserve?" Link, eyes glued to the floor, felt Talon's large hand on his shoulder again. "You saved the world. You can save her. You don't have to be perfect. Just willin' to try and smooth over yer rough spots."

There was a long pause, and finally, Link opened his mouth to say something, but the creaking of the front door interrupted him, and Talon quickly relinquished his warm grasp on his shoulder as Malon came in. Both of them stared at her thoughtfully.

She froze on the doormat, looking back and forth at each one of them. She cleared her throat cautiously. "Um...So, what did I miss in here?"

**A/N: Okay, so that was a quiet chapter, but I felt like I wanted some more time in Link's head. Also, again, I am so crazy sorry I lost my original author's notes and reviewer appreciation. But seriously, you guys don't have to ignore me! Sheesh, it was an accident, okay? :P Whatever, at least one person got a dedication this time, and I guess the dedications are all that really matter. In case you haven't noticed, this story doesn't make much sense unless you've read Shadows of Adulation, which in my opinion, was not one of my best works, but it gives the basic backstory. Also, I'm thinking after this is finished, I might to a prequel. What do you guys think?**

**Please drop a review, they make me so happy.**

**-Niki Bogwater**


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